One of the joys of living a creative life is that you don't have to play by anyone else's rules, and you get to call the shots on how you spend your time. It's always helpful, however, to have a list of guidelines to follow as a source of inspiration when things aren’t going your way.

Maintaining a positive outlook and keeping the big picture in perspective play a huge role in thriving as an artist. So, in order to avoid negative distractions and reach your full potential, follow these four rules as daily reminders of your mission as a musician.

This content first appeared in Episode 31 of The Music-Preneur Mindset Podcast.

Many times, in a desperate attempt to reach our goals, we keep going even when something’s not working in an effort to avoid being honest with ourselves about choosing the wrong path or needing to rest.

We carry so much shame about making mistakes and taking breaks that it ends up costing us, rather than helping us move forward. When we give ourselves permission to do what we feel in our gut is the right thing to do, however, we bring so much freedom into our lives. Here's how you can harness that power as a musician.

In the last few years, so manycollaborative music-making apps have emerged on the market due to recent developments in cloud-storage capacity, faster internet connections, and stronger mobile networks, but also because of the growing fundamental need for artists, producers, and engineers to interact together creatively.

The internet is good at a lot of things, but it stinks at getting us beyond our bubble and interacting with the outside world, so these apps hone in on one of the things the internet is best at: connecting us with an enormous number of potential colleagues from all over the globe.

Here’s a list of six of our favorite apps that make music collaboration simple, straightforward, and fun, and they each do it in a different way.

This week we've gathered an eclectic set of East Coast gigs to help you ring in the New Year. From festivals like Jimmy June, a celebration of the food and music of the South, to cozy cafe spots like Pennsylvania based Union and Finch, we've got you covered. Don't get caught up in the haze of the holidays – get on these gigs before the clock strikes twelve.

Being an artist means being vulnerable. You're putting yourself onstage in front of strangers. You're exposing your personal life through your music. You're standing in the spotlight. While we can't all have the confidence of Kanye, we do need to believe in ourselves to make it.

Let's face it – whenever we hear any of these nine things, it takes all the self control we have to not break out into a happy dance right then and there! Allow these encouraging words to lift your spirits, then dive deeper to find out how to hear them on the reg in your everyday life.